Fife town residents and businesses urged to ‘think big’ in new action plan

This month, Cupar Development Trust is leading a series of consultations to which residents, businesses, community partners and stakeholders will be invited.

The feedback will help to create a Community Action Plan to support the 21st century market town, together with some 57 communities across Cupar’s rural catchment.

There have been a number of community consultations over recent years, including the ‘CuparCould’ Charette in 2016. Working with local independent consultants, Community Enterprise, the trust wants to build on those previous conversations and create an exciting and ambitious plan that reflects the wants and needs of local people across the whole district – not only Cupar itself.

Bill Pagan, chairman, said “The future of Cupar, and the ‘Cupar Country’ it serves is of huge importance to all of us who live, work, and relax here - some 30,000 of us live in Bell Baxter's catchment area, and our futures, and our children's and grand-children's futures, depend on us developing the best ideas to take our area forward.

“The task is urgent because 2023 is the year when Fife Council will publish draft plans creating the framework for how Fife will develop between now and 2030, which our community will wish to respond to.”

As a first stage, the trust has designed a short survey that will take around 10 minutes to complete. It can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CuparandCountry_CAP – paper copies can be picked up in North East Fife Tenants and Residents Federation, in Community Voice, Crossgate and returned to the boxes provided. It can be completely anonymously.

A community drop in event takes place at Castlehill Community Centre on Castle Hill, Cupar, on Monday, May 8 between 9:00am and 4:00pm.

Mark Richardson, the board member who will lead the consultations, said: “If those of us already in the community don't look to the future, who will? The consultations with the community about the draft "Community Action Plan" which we are going to develop will allow us all to share ideas, find solutions and make our town and our wider communities more sustainable.”